THIS former Premier League star has taken on a whole new look since leaving England 18 years ago.
The supremely gifted forward graced English football for just one year in the early 2000s before heading unceremoniously back to Serie A.
The Romanian star is now a manager in his home country, currently in charge of Rapid Bucuresti sporting a hair and beard combo not seen during his spell in England.
After initially leaving his homeland as a player in 1999, this star would play for Inter Milan, Hellas Verona and Parma before pitching up at Chelsea in 2003.
He arrived at Stamford Bridge to much fanfare for a £15.8million fee.
A five-year deal was penned but he wouldn’t go close to lasting that long in West London, despite his clear talent.
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Under Claudio Ranieri he bagged ten goals in 36 appearances during his one and only full campaign at the Bridge.
Following the Italian’s exit, things unravelled for the forward pretty quickly.
He would make just two appearances for Ranieri’s successor Jose Mourinho – rowing with the Portuguese over his fitness.
And in September 2004 he tested positive for cocaine, effectively ending his time at the Bridge.
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He was slapped with a seven-month ban from the game and left the Blues while serving it, signing for Juventus in 2005.
Yes, it’s true that Chelsea never truly got the best of… Adrian Mutu.
After his stint with Juve, Mutu truly rediscovered his form at next club Fiorentina.
He would bag 54 goals in 112 Serie A matches for La Viola between 2006 and 2011, becoming a hero again in the process.
Mutu then played for Cesena and Ajaccio before returning to his native Romania with Petrolul Ploiesti.
A brief spell in India with Pune City followed in 2015, before he wrapped up his playing career with Romanian side ASA Targu Mures the following year.
Mutu, now 43, acted as player-manager with his final club before becoming general manager at Dinamo Bucaresti.
A role as sporting director for the Romania national team, for whom he scored 35 goals in 77 caps, was next for Mutu between 2017 and 2018.
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He then managed Voluntari briefly in 2018 before heading to the Middle East to take charge of Al Wahda’s Under-21s.
His next role was as gaffer of Romania’s Under-21s ahead of a brief spell with FC U Craiova, and then his current job with Rapid Bucaresti.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
